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RECKLESS, Chapter 18
Chapter 18 Logan awoke with a throbbing headache. He was expecting to be dead after what he had just been through, but he looked around and appeared to be inside a small dungeon of some kind. Too weak to stand, he just contemplated his current situation. He had been attacked by a sea monster, yet he had lived. With no sign of his crew or his ship, he came to the conclusion that he was a lone survivor and that he had been saved by someone, or kidnapped. Judging by the fact that he was now in a cage he guessed the latter. "Victoria..." He muttered. He looked to the floor and began to wonder if his sister was even alive, and if she would ever forgive him. As he was worrying, the cell door swung open and in stepped a knight clad in black armor. He approached the king and pointed a dangerous looking sword at him. "If you value your life, than come with me, without resisting." The knight warned. Logan tried to stand, but the second he did so, he fell forward again. The knight looked down at him and then motioned past the cell door. Another knight approached. "He is still weakened from the attack." The other knight nodded and handed his comrade a small red flask. The knight handed it to Logan, who recognized it instantly as a standard health potion. He took it and sniffed it however, still wary. The knight huffed. "So that's how you show gratitude eh? Belive me, if we wanted you dead we would have let the serpent eat you. Master Xaiver wants you alive for tonight's "festivities." The knight remarked. Logan's eyes widened at the name. "Xaiver?! As in the warlock?" He asked. "Yes the very same." Logan knew all about Xaiver from his father. It was that warlocks curse that had doomed his mother and caused his fathers massive breakdown. He was the one whom Logan had sworn to destroy, out of vengeance for his family. The young king downed the potion and sprang to his feet. "Where is he? Take me to him, Now!" He roared. The knights just filled the room with echoed laughter from behind their helmets. "Come with us." They instructed. Logan readied himself and bravely followed the knights. They lead him through a series of dark hallways, and tunnels before coming to one final door, a large black obsidian door with a serpentine red dragon engraved on it. The first knight pulled his sword and removed his gauntlet. To Logan's horror, he slashed a deep wound in his hand. "Doesn't that hurt?" The king asked him. The knight grunted and then reached up towards the design began to glow at the touch of the knights bloody hand, and the king was sure that the dragon even moved a little. The knight then removed his hand. All that remained was a deep black scar where the cut had been made. He casually replaced his gauntlet. "I can no longer feel pain." The black knight replied. The other knight began to chant some ancient incantation, and with that, that huge black door opened. Logan was led inside where to his surprise, he saw his sister and his father chained and waiting for him. "Victoria! Father!" Logan exclaimed as he rushed over and embraced them both. The knights followed behind and quickly chained him as well. "The three are in place master." They yelled out. Slow and silent, Xaiver came forward from the shadows and the two knights bowed slowly. Xaiver looked over the three prisoners and then grinned. "Ahh, such a strange family. A rebel princess, a selfish young king, and an insane entrepeneur, once the fabled Hero of Skill." He hissed as he glared at Reaver, making sure that the last part sank in. "But alas, my collection still is missing one person, now whoever could that be?" He looked around the room in a mocking type of way. "I know that she's here Xaiver, stop playing games!" Reaver demanded. "Connie Remswood? Very well." Xaiver snapped his bony fingers twice and Connie came forward, dressed in a black gown. Blood red fur sprouted wildly from the shoulders, and her tall thigh boots were covered in long spikes. She held a long obsidian sword in her hand, and was looking aggressively at the prisoners. "Connie!" Reaver yelled, but Connie continued to glare at him, emotionless. Reaver couldn't understand. At least in death, she was still the same sweet benevolent heroine that had given him another chance. But now, this shade of her, it was as if Xaiver had taken everything about her and reversed it. The once tender and lovely lady was now bloodthirsty and cold, and completely unaware of her past. "Connie, whats happened to you? Why won't you remember me?" Reaver pleaded as Xaiver laughed wickedly. "That's just it Victor, she isn't Connie anymore. For the last 16 years, she's been the Maiden of Dread, mistress of Obsidian Keep. Your sweet little lass is now my wife." Xaiver grinned and wrapped his cloaked arm around Connie. Reaver could feel the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise. "Get your hands off of her!" He roared and slammed hard against the chains that held him. Xaiver just mockingly chuckled and pulled Connie closer. He then planted a sharp kiss on her cheek. Reaver fought harder that ever to get to her, but he was powerless to stop Xaiver's torment. "But this is all beside the point. My lovely wife will now kill you all. It is through your blood, that I shall ensure the survival of my dark realm." Xaiver glared red glowing eyes at Victoria. "Espessialy yours..." He growled. "Leave my sister and mother alone!" Logan yelled. "Your standing has no impact here, little regent. You will obey me. Or else suffer the consequences." Xaiver threatened. "What's wrong Logan? Why aren't you surprised that mothers still alive?" Victoria demanded from her brother. "Because he knew all along. He found her in the desert when he came seeking my minions and I. He came face to face with her, begged her to remember him and come back home. That's when she gave him that scar, and almost took his life too. But she was still unconditioned at the time, and lacked the malevolence to take a life. Some part of her still recognized him as her son. But I am happy to say that the same mistake will not be made today. She is a perfect killing machine now." Xaiver ran his sharp fingernails along Connie's back. Victoria looked at her brother. "It was mother who you did battle with in the desert? So you knew the whole time and didn't bother to tell us?!" She screamed. "I thought if you knew, it would hurt you too badly. What was I to do? Tell you and father that mother was living in the desert as brutal killer? I had sworn to protect you and father. To protect Albion. Regardless of what most people thought, that was what I was striving for." The king replied. Victoria continued to glare at him. "Why would telling me the truth, telling father the truth, jeopardize us Logan? Just own up to the fact that you're a dirty rotten liar!" She accused. "Xaiver was looking for you Victoria, even back then, he was looking for you. That's why I never told you about mother, I knew that you would run away to go and find her, and she would have killed you. That was the real reason that I tried to keep you locked away in your tower, why I tried to marry you off. Not even Reaver knows that. He always assumed that I was protecting you from the world, that I didn't want to see you grow up, but that was the furthest thing from the truth! I wanted to see you grow up, and when this was all over, when I finally was able to put an end to Xaiver, to mothers curse, to this damned revolution that everyone's involved in, I wanted to see you start your own life, whatever that might be. Now, it's too late." The kings words ended on a bitter note, as he lowered his head. "Logan..." Victoria spoke softly. She had always assumed that her brother was a tyrant, a selfish bossy dictator, and that his rule stretched even to her. But never in all her wonderings would she have ever figured that there would be something out there after her. All he had done, though she accused him of otherwise, had been to protect her, and to take care of his little sister. The thought of their last fight brought tears to her brown doe like eyes, and as she looked away from him, a twinkle of teardrop caught the light. Reaver still remained on edge, and although he listened, the whole time, he never took his eyes off of Xaiver and Connie. Xaiver had been listening too, and the sound of sadness and tears made his black heart race. "That's a truly beautiful last sentiment Logan. But now, it is time for you all to understand why you are here, and why your petty lives are about to end." He motioned for the black knights to release the prisoners. As they did so, Reaver bolted. He shot the two black knights square in the helmets, and they fell back instantly. Then, he rushed Xaiver, his Dragonstomper .48 still smoking. Xaiver deflected the bullet before levitating up into the observatory of the colluseum. "Impressive work as always Victor. But can you bring yourself to do the same to your beloved Connie?" The warlock grinned. "I would NEVER hurt Connie! What have you done to her Xaiver?!" Reaver roared. Xaiver pointed to Connie. Her chest was glowing red. "Look. See that? It's the source of her curse. The night that you left Castle Fairfax, the night that she told you that she was dying because of what my novice shadows had done to her all those years ago, I had put a sleep spell on her, and then I did the rest. The implant on her heart." "But the royal doctor told her that she was dying. Is that implant a sort of heal life spell or something?" Reaver asked. "Fool! The so-called doctor was one of my own minions! He spun the whole story about her death in order to get you feeling guilty and out of the picture, while I worked my magic on that sweet young thing. You see Victor, Connie was never dead, she merely slept until I summoned her to come and be my queen. She has no recollection of her life, or her family, even her beloved Lance. She lives under the identity Maiden of Dread, because that is who she has become, and there is nothing that you can ever hope to do about it!." He hissed. Victoria ran to her father's side. "Father, why does he keep on calling you Victor?" She asked. Reaver looked away, his eyes expressionless. "Because, I used to go by that name. A long long time ago..." "I ''knew ''that Reaver wasn't your given name. I mean, who names their kid that?" Victoria scoffed. "Thanks a lot! I hate to interrupt your rudeness dear, but we are about to be attacked, so now would be a good time to remember that sword fight that we had back home." Reaver replied. He looked up again at the warlock that had been the bane of his life. "Xaiver! Connie is coming home with me, or I'll die trying to set her free. You won't take her without a fight, and I assure you, it will be a fight that you'll never forget." Xaiver's eyes gleamed at his old rivals words. "As you wish. Maiden of Dread, assume battle formation!" With that, Connie came at Reaver.